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Notch sells Minecraft to M$ for $2.5 billion

Turjan

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At least so the WSJ claims.

"According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is in talks to buy Mojang—the studio behind the absolutely banana's huge mega super duper blockbuster hit Minecraft—for $2 billion.

Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang Microsoft is in serious discussions to buy Mojang, the Swedish company behind the popular… Read on online.wsj.com Microsoft already locked Minecraft down for a (timed) Xbox exclusive, but the deal has run out and the Minecraft gold has been leaking onto other platforms. Considering that Minecraft is the insanely huge hit that it is—Minecraft on Xbox 360 is just 2.5 million sales shy of Halo 3, which had a three year head start—it would make sense for Microsoft to just buy the cow, and the chance for Mojang to put out another bonkers hit would just be a bonus.

Neither Microsoft nor Mojang have commented on the rumors, but if the deal is as close to closing as the Wall Street Journal suggests, we could hear about it soon. And maybe Minecraft for Windows Phone soon after?!?! [WSJ]"

Looks like a nice stash of spare change, even after Swedish taxes. Anyway, the Verge said that Notch will quit making games altogether. Sounds reasonable.

Source
 

garren

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Wow, if true, that's a hell of a payday. That kinda money has you and your relatives provided for the rest of their lives, I'd take that kind of deal too. Too bad everything microsoft touches turns into shit :lol: Talk about betraying your player base. Wise to quit now so you avoid all the shitstorm.
 
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I wouldn't say "betraying the players" since you can't realistically expect him to reject that offer. +M

Still, if MS isn't criminally retarded they will realize that what made the game so successful in the first place is the make-your-own-fun hands-off approach, and not try to turn it into something else to attract some nonexistent market segment. This is a game that already appeals to ubercasuals and sperglords, just knock out the marketing guys if they attempt to raise their hand and suggest anything
 

tuluse

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I wouldn't say "betraying the players" since you can't realistically expect him to reject that offer. +M

Still, if MS isn't criminally retarded they will realize that what made the game so successful in the first place is the make-your-own-fun hands-off approach, and not try to turn it into something else to attract some nonexistent market segment. This is a game that already appeals to ubercasuals and sperglords, just knock out the marketing guys if they attempt to raise their hand and suggest anything
So sell materials in microtransactions is what I'm reading here.
 

Night Goat

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Still, if MS isn't criminally retarded they will realize that what made the game so successful in the first place is the make-your-own-fun hands-off approach, and not try to turn it into something else to attract some nonexistent market segment.
So, they'll try to turn it into something else to attract some nonexistent market segment?
 

Spectacle

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Minecraft 2, only on the Xbox one. Get dad to buy you one or be left behind by the cool kids.
 

Explorerbc

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Has mojang as a studio proven it can produce a continuous line of quality games and is not a one-hit wonder ? I mean yeah, Minecraft was the biggest indie hit and is still quite big, it came at the right time with an interesting new idea (well others did it first but it didn't get much exposure then) and helped start the indie industry craze, but what have they done since ? A cancelled sci-fi pixel fps that notch didn't know what to do with, some crappy game jam games and Scrolls. I doubt minecraft alone is gonna stay that popular in the future to justify the investment. And it's not like they are gonna create Minecraft 2 for next-gen consoles so what is Microsoft thinking. Plus I am not sure how well the studio will handle the transition from indie to MS and some of its original members leaving.

This could end up like the zynga deal. They make a hit and everyone thinks that's the next big thing and throws billions at them, but everything they create afterwards bombs. Notch would be wise to take the money and leave now that his studio still has value.
 
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Destroid

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It's obviously about control of the IP, not about Mojang as a studio. They'll send Minecraft 2 off to some bigger studio.
 

WhiskeyWolf

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And it's not like they are gonna create Minecraft 2 for next-gen consoles so what is Microsoft thinking.
I think this is exactly what Microsoft is thinking.
This could end up like the zynga deal. They make a hit and everyone thinks that's the next big thing and throws billions at them, but everything they create afterwards bombs. Notch would be wise to take the money and leave now that his studio still has value.
I think this is exactly what Notch is thinking.
 

Kane

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This could end up like the zynga deal. They make a hit and everyone thinks that's the next big thing and throws billions at them, but everything they create afterwards bombs. Notch would be wise to take the money and leave now that his studio still has value.
I think this is exactly what Notch is thinking.
A lot of truth behind that one, considering Mojang is already working on their next game but other than handwaving and some concept arts there is nothing after 3(?) years. This is the time for Notch where he admits he can't make games for shit and takes the money or tries to be :dgaider: .
 

Turjan

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And it's not like they are gonna create Minecraft 2 for next-gen consoles so what is Microsoft thinking.
I think this is exactly what Microsoft is thinking.
This could end up like the zynga deal. They make a hit and everyone thinks that's the next big thing and throws billions at them, but everything they create afterwards bombs. Notch would be wise to take the money and leave now that his studio still has value.
I think this is exactly what Notch is thinking.

This was my thought as well. When I first found the message, I found it unbelievable. But when I went and checked, yes, it was an actual WSJ message, just hidden behind a paywall, so I didn't link that one. To me, it seems somewhat like a retarded deal on Microsoft's side, but what do I know. Maybe, they find some customers to milk with always new variations, DLC's and microstransactions or pay servers.

Then again, who knows why this supposed deal was leaked. Maybe, someone wants to hear some outside opinions about whether that's a good idea or not.
 

Night Goat

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I don't see any way this isn't a retarded deal. They might find a way to make some money off of this, but 2 billion dollars? Everyone who was going to buy Minecraft has done so already, and that fad can't keep going too much longer.
 

Astral Rag

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Infinitron

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-09/microsoft-said-near-2-billion-deal-for-minecraft-maker.html

Microsoft Said Near $2 Billion Deal for Minecraft Maker

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), maker of the Xbox video-game console, is in discussions to acquire Mojang AB, the software company behind the popular game Minecraft, for more than $2 billion, three people with knowledge of the talks said.

Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, is in serious talks with 4-year-old Mojang, said the people, who asked not to be named because the negotiations aren’t public. The deal may be concluded as soon as this week, though next week is more likely, said two people.

An accord to acquire Mojang would be the biggest deal struck since Satya Nadella took over as Microsoft’s chief executive officer in February, succeeding Steve Ballmer. Nadella has been shifting the company’s focus more toward Internet-based services and cloud computing. It has also renewed a push to woo serious gamers to the Xbox, following a lackluster attempt to turn the machine into a device to serve up broader content such as movies and music.

“It’s one of the greatest success stories in gaming over the last 10 years,” said Doug Creutz, an analyst at Cowen & Co. in New York, referring to Mojang. “They’ve sold a lot of copies of Minecraft over the Xbox.”

Frank Shaw, a spokesman for Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, declined to comment yesterday. Representatives of Stockholm-based Mojang didn’t respond to e-mails outside of normal business hours. Microsoft’s talks with Mojang were reported earlier yesterday by the Wall Street Journal.

If a deal is reached, Microsoft plans to pay for an acquisition with cash held overseas, one person familiar with the company said. That would have favorable tax consequences for the software maker, whose vast majority of cash and short-term investments are kept outside the U.S.

Persson Selling
The deal came together after Mojang founder Markus Persson reached out to Microsoft a few months ago, based on a positive working relationship on Minecraft for Xbox, said the person familiar with Microsoft.

The two companies quickly agreed on a framework and approximate price and have been working out the details since, the person said. Persson will help out with the transition, though he is unlikely to remain beyond that, according to the person.

Xbox chief Phil Spencer has a close relationship with Persson, and has flown out to have dinners with the Mojang founder, another person familiar with Microsoft said.

The software maker calculates it can boost Minecraft sales by expanding the number of game users through Microsoft’s position in video games and computers, and by expanding licensing for things like toys and movies, said one of the people.

Virtual World
Persson founded Mojang in 2010, after he coded Minecraft on a lark in 2009 as a side project when he came home from working his day job at King.com, a U.K.-based gaming site.

For a while, users could only buy Minecraft on Persson’s website, where it retailed for 15 euros. The game puts users inside a vast, pixelated landscape. The goal, as much as there is one, is to avoid being eaten by monsters that come out after dark. By April 2011, Minecraft, which is a bit like playing Lego in a virtual world, had sold more than 1.75 million copies.

Minecraft is made for multiple platforms including consoles, computers and mobile devices. As of June, Mojang had sold more than 54 million copies of the game in all its forms. It was the No. 2 best-selling game by physical retail copies sold in July for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, behind Sony Corp.’s The Last of Us for PlayStation consoles, according to research firm NPD Group Inc. It was the No. 3 game in June.

Minecraft was made available for the newest generation of consoles, Xbox One and PlayStation 4,earlier this month. Microsoft, if it completes the deal, will keep the game available for rival products, said two people familiar with the company’s plans.

The company thinks that this kind of product, like its Office productivity software, has to be available with high-quality versions for multiple platforms, including those of its rivals, the person with knowledge of Microsoft’s thinking said.
 

Unkillable Cat

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Microsoft secures hot IP, bans developer from developing again, milks IP until cow is dead, writes off losses for tax reasons, repeats with next hot IP.

We could switch out MS for EA here without missing a beat.

I don't think that this deal is a good thing.
 

Kane

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I really wonder what Minecraft 2 will look like then. Maybe a F2P (P2W) world building MMO like Everquest Next?
http://ageofempiresonline.com
- Hire an external team of maybe two handful of people conveniently located in or near redmond (probably a m$ "spin-out" anyway)
- have them make shitty game/refurbish one of ms' old titles
- sell on steam
- fire externs

that has been their business strategy for the last couple of years at least.
 

FeelTheRads

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That kinda money has you and your relatives provided for the rest of their lives, I'd take that kind of deal too.

Dude, that's 2 billion not 2 million. Unless you're a gipsy that money would cover several generations of relatives. I don't even...

But will that money get into his pockets, or how do these deals work?
 

Kane

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Astral Rag

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Sounds like BS to me, with that kind of money they could buy an actual game company or fund several huge AAA titles (GTA 5 cost $265 million). But then again it is 2014 and we're talking about the gaming industry...
 

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